MoonGate. Chapter Four
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon created by Naoko Takeuchi and owned by Naoko Takeuchi and Kodansha. Stargate is property of MGM
Spoilers: Sailor Moon, roughly to Sailor Moon S, and elements of Sailor Moon SuperS and the Dreams arc from the manga (I'm mixing and matching here).. Stargate mid-to-late 5th Season.
Author note: while I'll mostly be drawing from the original Anime, and elements from the manga, that doesn't mean that I won't draw from other sources in the Sailor Moon franchise (live action series, musicals, videogames, etc.)
Tsukino residence, Juuban district, Tokyo
Ikuko Tsukino went to awaken her daughter, who had overslept like she always did, only to stop by the scene before her. Chibiusa was deeply asleep, secure in the embrace of Usagi, without a care in the world.
Ikuko smiled and decided to leave them a moment more of sleep. After that moment had passed she took the sheets and threw them away while screaming for the sleepers to wake up, lazybones.
Computer lab. SGC
Sam had arrived back at the Computer lab, called by Dr. Monterosso.
"...three times. Three times!" Monterosso was saying, "That's no error, Darius. I checked and rechecked, and you did too."
"But that result doesn't make sense, Sally." Summers answered.
"Ahem." Sam interrupted. "I assume you managed to resolve the software problem."
"Yes, we did. And we analyzed the harmonics and we got these results." Doctor Monterosso said, turning the computer monitor toward her.
Sam saw the graphic, and saw what the black-haired computer scientist was hinting at.
"The only way that result makes sense is if…" Sam started to say
"...there is another out there." finished Monterosso
"Well, I'm not understanding anything. Can you brainiacs please explain what's going on?" Doctor Darius "Dry" Summer said, "In small words, please."
Sally Monterosso sighed with affectionate exasperation to the antics of her best friend since kindergarten before starting to answer.
"Well, Dry, what we mean is that according to this…" She said, pointing to the computer "…the Stargate address they were deviated to was the same they had keyed. That is, Earth."
"So that's why you had me check the code and the circuits." Said Summer. "So there is another Stargate on Earth."
"But, we should have been able to notice the quakes…"
"I only can give you what our instruments give us, Sam. And they are quite clear, I can check them again for errors, but the answer is going to be the same again, I fear."
"Yes, I know…"
Her explanation was cut short by the intercom buzzing.
"Computer lab here, Sally Monterosso speaking." She answered it.
"Ah, doctor. I'm Sergeant Harriman, the General wants to know if Major Carter is there."
"Yes, she is. " Sally said, gesturing to Sam to take the call.
"What's the problem, Sergeant?"
"General Hammond wants to talk to you, it's urgent." Harriman said.
A NID secret base. Somewhere in the USA
The Colonel stepped out of the lift, returned the salute of the guard, and went toward the lab section where a fifty-ish blonde scientist, Doctor Margaret Erickson, the woman who he had handpicked to be the head of the project, was running toward him.
"Colonel Simmons!" the scientist said, slightly out of breath, as the Colonel got close enough "We didn't expect you this soon."
"I wanted to know the progress of the project, doctor, and if it could be accelerated." Simmons said curtly. Seeing the quizzical expression on the doctor's face, he added in a low enough voice that only the doctor could hear him "There had been some problematic developments, and we may need your work earlier than we anticipated."
The doctor nodded, understanding that he was referring to the SGC, and guided the colonel to one office, with a big crystal window, from where they could overview the work that they were doing in the lab below. Simmons looked briefly as one technician passed between the equipment with a container full of some kind of pink goop, which seemed to move on its own accord inside the container. His attention returned to the doctor as she coughed to call his attention.
"Let's start with the easier part, doctor cybernetic enhancements." Said Simmons "From your last report I understand that the results have been promising."
"Yes, sir. But we seem to have hit a snag. Apparently the type of cybernetics developed by professor Tomoe tend to cause some kind of neural feedback that result in brain damage." Erickson said, with a sigh, "From his notes, apparently he was aware of this, but he was somehow sure that his test subject would not suffer that problem." She added, with a hopeful look in her eyes.
"And you want to get your hands on her, to see what makes her tick." he sighed "Doctor, while I agree those aliens need to be studied, this is not the right time yet. In a couple months, maybe, but just right now is not possible. Let that matter rest for now, doctor."
Recognizing her defeat, she nodded and asked.
"I suppose that the next item is the biological constructs, aren't they?"
"Yes, what has happened to them?" Simmons questioned her, "You said that you had hit a wall in your last report, but, from what I have just seen, you seem to have that part of the project underway."
"Oh, that?" she said smiling, and with a small note of pride in her voice "We had a stroke of luck, for a change. As you said, we had hit a wall, but checking old notes, we discovered that he based the biological constructs in his previous genetic research. Once we knew that, and his obvious lunacy notwithstanding, we were able to work with his notes and what we managed to recover from the destroyed lab, managing to replicate the creation process."
"How advanced is the production process?" asked Simmons, approvingly.
"We have already produced one hundred and twenty specimens already. Also, we are looking at ways to automate the process, so we could be doing a few hundreds a week." said the doctor, smiling broadly.
"Good work, doctor." Simmons said and then asked the question that the scientist had been fearing "And the bonding process?"
"That is still a work in progress, and our luck has been worse in that regard." she honestly admitted, though the smile was gone now "Apparently the few successes that the Professor had in a perfect bonding were a matter of luck, rather than any particular process that he used. There are some notes that talked about psychological and physiological preparation of the subjects, but by that point..."
"Yes, I have seen the report." he interrupted her, grimacing. He had sent a man to investigate what Tomoe had been doing with the money that the NID had given, through cutouts, to the professor. They never found all his body parts. "Could we use the result of imperfect bonding in any way, at least?"
"In my opinion, they would make excellent cannon fodder, sir." the doctor said, passing her hand through her short hair "They're dumb as a post, but extremely resilient and aggressive. The problem would be to get them not to attack our own people."
"That is our problem, not yours." the Colonel said, and then added "In your opinion, could we use one of the test subjects of the cybernetic implants in the bonding process?"
"It is possible, we speculated that the physiological preparation referred to the cybernetic implants, but according to the notes only one of his experimental subjects needed that process, due to prior injury." the doctor said "It would be worth a try, though."
"I'll leave now, I have to be in Washington in a few hours, Doctor W…, excuse me, Doctor Erickson, I forgot for a moment that you just went back to your maiden name." Simmons said, using the fake lapse to remind her of her place.
"It was time." she said without elaborating, but the grimace was proof enough that she had caught Simmons' intention.
"Very well, I expect a full report in my table tomorrow morning." Simmons said, turning back to the lift.
"You'll have it, sir." the scientist said. "I'll include the possible ways that we have devised to automate the production, as well as possible ways to control the imperfect bonding specimens, and if we have it, the first result of the bonding in a cybernetically augmented subject... "
Simmons curtly nodded and went through the corridor, leaving Maggie Erickson to her thoughts.
'Soon, Souichi, soon.' She thought 'The world will know of your genius.'
Simmons stepped out of the lift to the decrepit Air Force installations that served as a cover for the NID base. It was a very "black" operation, so, fortunately, not even his superiors knew where this installation was located, and they didn't know, in detail, what was being done here. And, of course, no paper trail anywhere that pointed to this location, or so he hoped. If he had learned something from the Maybourne debacle, it was to not leave a paper trail in his more controversial operations.
Once back in his plane, he mentally checked the operations in course, and silently cursed Maybourne. Not many people knew that there were two sides in the NID: the people who, like him, were not afraid to do what was necessary, and the pussies who were afraid of their own shadow. Just now his side was in control of the Agency, but Maybourne's exposure had given weapons to the other side to attempt to wrestle control from his people. Fortunately Maybourne's failures hadn't exposed his own operations, although his failure to capture the alien who had followed that blonde bitch through the gate had cost him some points.
'But those Senshi in Japan are going to be a good replacement.' He chuckled darkly 'Since we started with this project, Doctor Erickson had wanted to get her hands on them, for what she calls 'a thorough study'. And if the negotiations with Conrad go ahead, that bitch will follow the same road.'
Under the Moon Palace.
The descent had been much smoother than the ascent, as whatever genetic scanners the installation had seemed to recognize Pluto on sight. She said a few words in a language that neither of the SG members recognized, but that to Karen ear sounded like a mix of Greek and Latin, and a panel slide, revealing two jewel-like objects.
"These badges will allow you to access the more basic functions of the computers here, and will acknowledge you as guests." she said.
"While also allowing you to monitor our whereabouts, I assume."
"No, but it won't allow you to enter anywhere dangerous." Pluto answered.
"We prefer to go with you." Mason said.
"As you wish," Pluto said with a shrug, "I'll keep the badges in case you change your minds."
The truth was that Pluto's mind was trying to decipher the conundrum this situation had thrown her. The Americans had obviously unleashed some dangers in their off-world sojourns, and while they were trying to clean their mess, they had ended up in the Lunar Porta. She knew how the princess would see it, signing in without thinking... No, that wasn't fair to her. She would think about it, but she would do what her heart would dictate, trying to help, while scolding the Americans for having ended in that mess.
And that's why she was wavering. They needed to know more about this operation. Judging by the people that they had here, they were good people, but she knew from bitter experience that good people could do bad things if they thought that it was worth it. And she had the uncomfortable feeling that to some people, trying to gain access to the power that they wielded would enter that definition, although... you had to start trusting somewhere.
"Well, here are we, Miss..." Said Mason, interrupting her thoughts, as they entered the Gate room.
"Pluto, call me Pluto." Said Pluto.
"You know, you are hitting a good deal of the points of the superhero genre. Aloof, mysterious, an obvious alias..." teased Karen, while Mason rolled her eyes, suppressing a sigh at the lame attempt of rducing tension.
Giving her a 'really? look that had the effect to mak th scientist look a bit contrite, Pluto got ahead of them, a gesture that made Mason slightly lift her weapon, in case she had to train her weapon on her in a moment.
"What are you doing?" asked Mason, a bit alarmed
"What I told you earlier, I hope to get the Porta in working order, and then you can be on your way." Said Pluto, very calmly. "And while we are on this, we can talk."
"Like for example, the fact that you are an Ancient?"
"Ancient? Hmmm, well I could see how we could have been called that, given that we predate current Humanity by several million years." said Pluto, as she read the error code that the console was giving. She frowned and knelt, opening a hatch on its base "Damn, one of the control crystals is gone. "
Karen looked to Sailor Pluto in awe. Since she started to work in the SGC she had assumed that the Senshi were a group of advanced humans, Hok'tar as the Goa'uld called them, but seeing that at least one of them was an Ancient made her question how it could be possible.
'Damn, I'm gonna have to pay fifty bucks to Sally.' thought Karen, her mind going back to the only other fan of the Senshi that she knew on the SGC, Doctor Sally Monterosso, from Computer Sciences, with whom she had bet fifty dollars about the nature of the Senshi.
Together, they had sent several memos about contacting them in order to get their help against the Goa'uld, but there hadn't been any answer, probably having been punted into the paper basket by some hidebound bureaucrat. As if sensing her thoughts about her, Sailor Pluto looked back at the Japanese-American scientist.
"I know that you have many questions, but I can't answer them just now." Said Pluto, making an apologetic gesture "I have to consult with my partners, the other Senshi, in this matter." She paused, and sighed again. "And we can't call with this Porta, somebody removed one of the control crystals."
"And why don't you give us a ride back on your spaceship?" said Mason, and seeing her expression, she asked "You have a spaceship, right?".
"No, Major, I don't have a spaceship, Major." Said Pluto "I...teleported here, and unfortunately, I can't carry anybody with me, it's pretty dangerous for normal humans." Only the other Senshi could come with her through her portals. Normal humans couldn't be exposed without protection to the energies that ran through the Time Vortex.
"You teleported here, all by yourself? How does that work?" said Karen, clearly excited about the possibilities before reining herself in "I mean... one moment"
She stopped talking, as an idea had started to take form in her mind.
"Pluto, you mentioned that you couldn't carry normal people. But, do electronics survive the trip?" asked Karen.
Pluto looked thoughtful for a moment before she answered.
"I think so, but even if I'm wrong, there are ways to accomplish that." answered Pluto. "What's your idea?"
"Well, I'm sure that Sam could MacGyver some subspace transmitter or something like that with what we have here, but I'm just an Astrophysicist whose hobby is Archeology." Karen said, while producing a small digital recorder from a pocket, not noticing the look that Pluto gave her when she mentioned Sam. "But I have become used to taking notes when I'm in the field."
Pluto looked at the recorder with interest, it was small enough to fit in a pocket of her civilian clothes, so there would be no damage to it, if she changed back for a moment and then back.
"What are you planning, exactly?"
"Well..." she gave a meaningful look to Martha. "I think that I need to talk with my friend for a moment, before I can continue."
"I'll stay here, and I won't eavesdrop." Said Pluto, suppressing a startled reaction as she felt that the timeline was becoming even more muddled than before.'Oh, Kami. I have to call the others, NOW!' she thought.
Pluto kept an eye on the other women as they walked down the corridor, while she sat on the platform where the Gate was placed and activated her communicator silently.
"Pluto here, don't answer, it is not secure." Said Pluto in a voice low enough to not be heard outside the room "Assemble all of the Senshi, including Chibi Moon and Saturn, and use Sailor Teleport to come to the Moon Palace, as soon as you can. If you have heard it, press the alarm button twice." She breathed in relief as the symbols of Uranus, Neptune, and surprisingly Mars appeared, acknowledging the message. "See you." she said and cut the communication. 'Now to wait.'
TO BE CONTINUED...